Like Father Like Son
by ljp
Summary: Jason White has been keeping secrets for ten years. He thinks it's about time to let it out. Warning: Superman Returns spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Superman or Clark or Lois or Jason or any of these people. I think, for the most part, they belong to DC Comics. I was merely inspired by _Superman Returns_.

**Like Father, Like Son**

_a Superman story by ljparis_

Jason White always pretended that he never heard what his mother whispered to Superman in the hospital when no one thought he was going to survive. He pretended that, at five years old, idolizing the superhero that saved him and his mom and dad, he had imagined that his mother had bent down next to Superman, lowered her voice, and told him that he, Jason, was Superman's son.

He stood on the other side of the room, his fingers tracing the large S emblazed on Superman's suit. It felt rubbery, like the kickball in gym class. The cape was smooth though, almost like his mother's silk shirts, but thicker. He heard his mother talking, heard every word. He looked at her once; she was bent over the bed, hand on Superman's chest, hair over her shoulders. She didn't seem to know he was looking at her.

And she didn't know he heard her tell Superman he was Jason's father either, but then again Jason didn't really believe he'd ever heard it. That's what he kept telling himself, even later that night when he thought he heard Superman call him his son in his bedroom while he was sleeping.

It was a dream – wishful thinking that he only remembered once he felt the breeze and ran to the window to find Superman hovering over the river. "Good night!" he had called out, confused at the blurry line between his dream and reality.

The next morning he had practically forgotten all about it. He was, after all, five years old and more concerned with science and mixing fruits and milk in the blender with his dad. He also liked sitting on the dock beside Dad's plane and letting his toes drag in the water. He liked crashing around the Daily Planet's office with a wastebasket on his head like a monster, growling and knocking over staplers. He even liked drawing pictures on Mr. Clark's desk when Mom and Dad were out on an assignment.

Every so often, when Superman was on the news, rescuing more people like he had Jason and his parents, Jason would hear a strong voice in his mind: _You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father. And the father, the son._

But it didn't mean anything to Jason, not when there were more important things like sharpening his blue crayon so he could draw Superman or sneaking a bite of his mom's egg roll even though he knew it would make him sick later.

So he pretended he hadn't heard the whisper or heard Superman in his dreams and instead lived his life as normal Jason White, son of Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Lois Lane and Daily Planet assistant editor Richard White. That was enough for Jason.

--

Concentrating in class was becoming increasingly difficult, Jason realized, as he stared at the chemistry exam in front of him and realized all he could focus on were his classmates' self-murmurings or the teachers down the hall and across the hall lecturing on subjects that weren't chemistry. If he could zero in on a chemistry teacher, though, he wouldn't be having the problem of not knowing the exam answers. But Jason knew even if he could find another chemistry class, he wouldn't cheat like that. He couldn't; it wasn't in his nature to use his super-hearing that way.

He took a deep breath. "Okay, right, Jason, relax," he whispered to himself, but he could feel the pen in his hand bending under the pressure of his stress. He closed his eyes and willed himself to relax.

Finally, he inched the tip of his pen to the space under the first question and began working. As long as he read each question under his breath and kept his hearing focused on the classical music flowing in from the teachers' lounge, he could work well enough on his exam.

The superhuman powers Jason had pretended he would never develop had been strengthening since the start of high school. It seemed that with the onset of his human maturity (pimple break-outs, a deeper voice, hormones) and freshman year starting, also came an additional set of problems – his Kryptonian powers.

Jason didn't want to tell his mom about it; he wasn't supposed to even suspect that his dad wasn't his dad. But he couldn't just let what was happening to him keep happening to him. What would happen if next time instead of a hole in the wall the whole thing came down? How would he explain that?

After his test he hurried out of the classroom, head down. He ducked to the left and immediately out the nearest door. Chemistry was last period, thankfully, and Jason could run into the sunshine almost immediately.

The sun always made him feel better, no matter what was wrong. A moment's sunlight shining across his face could change his mood from sour to immediate relief. There were days Jason ached for the sun, ached to feel its warm rays and take comfort in its heat. He couldn't explain it like he could explain his super powers as genetic from his real father, though he suspected somewhere inside him that the two were related.

He stepped outside and lifted his face into the sun, and he smiled. He could hear his schoolmates' conversations louder and clearer outside, and he could hear the man on the cell phone in his car as he sped past and the NPR program on his car radio. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.

His mother constantly reminded him that Superman was "always around" – all Jason had to do was say his name. She never elaborated or mentioned why Jason might be special enough to warrant a private audience from the man of steel, and Jason never asked. He also never called for Superman, not even when he was still young and idolizing him and all he wanted was for Superman to fly him high in the sky like he had when he'd saved him and Mom and Dad from Lex Luthor.

Even though Jason never asked Superman to drop by, that didn't mean his mom never did. In fact, Lois and Superman made it a point that Superman see Jason whenever he could, under the guise of a strange friendship like Lois and Superman had once shared. Jason knew never to question the visits, and no one ever told him Superman was his father.

Once, when Jason was in grade school, he almost asked his mom about Superman; it was right after Superman saved a boy about Jason's age from drowning in the ocean. Then, a few years later while he was mad at being grounded, Jason almost yelled at his dad, yelled that he didn't have to listen to him because he wasn't his real father, but something held him back and he didn't. So, like he had when he was five years old, after he stood in a barren hospital room and heard his mother tell Superman he had a son, Jason continued pretending Richard White was his father and he didn't suspect otherwise.

Jason stopped at the curb and looked at the Metropolis skyline in the distance. Softly, just under his breath, he spoke. "Superman. It's Jason. I feel dumb asking like this, but can we talk? I'll be home in ten minutes and Mom's still at work." He narrowed his eyes at the tops of the tallest buildings, half expecting to see a flash of red and blue streaking through the sky, but he saw nothing. Unsure whether he was upset about that or not, he turned down the street and walked home.

--


	2. Chapter 2

Part two.

Jason wasn't surprised to find Superman waiting for him when he got home. The man hovered just above the back porch, his cape billowing behind him. "Jason," he said, uncrossing his arms, sounding concerned. "Is everything alright?"

Jason nodded quickly. "Yes – no – I just – I had some questions for you."

"You _are_ just like your mother," Superman murmured, and anyone besides Superman and Jason wouldn't have heard it.

"So can I ask a few questions?"

Superman nodded.

Jason took a deep breath. "And you'll tell the truth no matter what I ask?"

He nodded again.

"Right, you never lie," Jason said, but he couldn't keep just a hint of bitterness out of his voice. He shook his head. "Never mind, look –" but he stopped suddenly, noticing a siren and a scream coming from somewhere on the other side of the river.

Superman had turned slightly, just enough to show Jason he had heard something.

"Go," Jason sighed, "she sounds like she's in real trouble." It didn't register with him that he'd said it how he said it. He held up a hand and looked off in the direction of the distress call.

Superman hesitated for only a moment. "I'll be back," he said in the split second before he flew away.

Jason released his tight breath and tried to follow the streak of blue and red across the sky. His shoulders relaxed as he leaned against the porch railing and hung his head. An interruption made this harder, but Jason couldn't let Superman not be, well, Superman. It would probably be even more difficult now that Jason slipped up about his super hearing too.

He dropped his face into his hands and trained his hearing toward to the place Superman just flew to. He couldn't hear the screaming anymore, or the sirens, or anything but a gently whoosh of wind.

Jason turned.

Superman stood just a few feet away.

"Is she okay?" Jason asked, moving until his back rubbed against the railing and he gripped it at his sides. "What happened?"

"You heard it too," Superman said, and it was a statement not a question.

Jason nodded anyway.

"How long?" The other man's voice was barely a whisper.

Jason's gaze faltered. He glanced off towards Metropolis. "A couple months," he lied. Then he regretted it, regretted lying when his father didn't – well, rarely at least – lied. "About ten years."

It seemed to take a moment for Superman to do the math, and then he nodded too firmly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I could ask you the same question," Jason countered, surprising himself without any hint of anger or bitterness. "Why didn't you tell _me_?"

Superman was always calm, collected, stoic when necessary, full of emotion only when with Lois, Jason had noticed, but at that moment, something broke across his face, and he turned away. "How did you figure it out?"

"Besides the obvious super strength, super hearing, and x-ray vision?"

Superman's head jerked up. "You already have x-ray vision?"

Jason frowned. "Yeah, for a while now. What's wrong with that?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, just that I didn't start that until I was almost sixteen." His eyes looked even bluer than usual against the backdrop of the crisp, cloudless sky.

Jason drew himself up to his full height, which was still a head shorter than Superman. "I'm fifteen," he said.

Superman shook his head just barely. "I'm sorry, Jason. I lost count. I –" He rubbed his chin. "Let me rephrase. _When_ did you figure it out?"

Jason looked past Superman – his father – and in through the sliding glass door. On the mantel stood a line of family photos, plus his mom's Pulitzer for that article, "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." A muscle next to his mouth twitched. "I heard her tell you, that day in the hospital."

"You've known all this time?"

"I thought maybe I'd imagined it," Jason admitted, "because you'd just saved us and any connection to you would be pretty cool. But then I started hearing things, and I couldn't forget what happened with the piano then too. And a lot of other things since. But I didn't want to ask Mom because she didn't want to tell me."

"We should have told you, Jason. I'm sorry."

He stayed silent again and nodded vaguely. "Yeah, you should have. But you didn't and I know anyway."

Superman didn't say anything.

"So, I wanted to talk to you 'cause I want you to be my father now. I don't want to do something stupid or have something happen that I can't control. You're the only one who knows what it's like." He looked at Superman, hopeful.

For a moment, nothing, and then Superman smiled.

--


	3. Chapter 3

_A quick word – I hardly know as much about Superman canon as I do Harry Potter or something else, so I apologize if I get facts wrong. I've never read the comic, only seen the movies and Lois and Clark. Please bear with me._

Part three.

Jason knew it wouldn't be easy, understanding everything his father agreed to teach him.

"My father – your grandfather – sent me to Earth on the eve of the destruction of our world, of Krypton. The red sun of Krypton was different from the yellow sun here on Earth. It is this sun that gives me – us – strength."

Jason nodded. "I thought there had to be a connection," he admitted. "I always feel better in the sun. What would a red sun do? Would we be different on Krypton?"

"We would be normal on Krypton," Superman explained. "The red sun would oppose our powers, just as Kryptonite does. You've heard all about that, haven't you?"

"I've read my mom's articles, if that's what you mean," Jason replied. He shrugged with one shoulder and leaned back against the lounge chair on which he was perched on the deck. "I know it's pieces of your home world, meteorites that make you sick." His mind returned him to the day he'd first shown his strength, before he hurled the piano, and the stick of glowing green Lex Luthor had held out at him. He screwed his eyes shut.

"Yes," Superman said, "Kryptonite acts in a similar way to the sun of Krypton, though rather than countering the powers in a natural manner, it fights them and hurts us." He stopped. When he spoke next, he sounded nearer than before. "Have you seen Kryptonite before?"

Jason opened his eyes to find Superman a few steps closer across the deck. He nodded. "On the boat with Lex Luthor. It was hypnotizing."

"It does have that effect," Superman said.

Jason shuddered a bit and rubbed his upper arm. "I just couldn't stop staring at it," he said, "and Lex Luthor could tell. He asked Mom who my father was. But she just said Richard, and she wouldn't let me go. And later then I threw the piano."

"Your mother told me about that," he said, almost sounding impressed. "I'm glad you could save your mother."

"I couldn't let him hurt her," Jason admitted in a small voice.

"You did the right thing," Superman said, and he put his hand on Jason's shoulder. He squeezed gently, reassuringly, and held there until Jason looked up at him. "I was proud of you then," he said, "and I'm proud of you now, for seeking me out."

Jason shook his head, his tongue heavy against the roof of his mouth. "I just don't want to do anything stupid," he said. "I don't want to hurt anyone. How did you get used to it?"

Superman sat then, casually on the lawn chair beside Jason, and he pushed his cape out from underneath him. "It took a while," he admitted. "And I didn't even learn where I came from until I was older than you are. My father – my earth father – died after high school, and that was when I found a crystal buried with my spaceship in the barn."

"You have a spaceship?"

He nodded. "My parents sent me to earth in a spaceship, and I crashed on a farm in Kansas. The people who owned it adopted me, took me in as their own son."

"So you were raised normal?" Jason asked.

"As normal as could be." He chuckled reminiscently. "They loved me even when I started displaying powers, and they kept my secret."

Jason looked past his father again and pursed his lips together. Superman shared his powers with the world; he didn't keep it a secret as Jason did. What kind of secret could Superman possibly –? "Oh duh," he muttered. "Of course you don't just go around being Superman all the time. You're someone else too." Jason felt stupid for having never made the connection before. A superhero always had a secret identity. Why would Superman be different?

Superman straightened, his shoulders back and his jaw set. "It's true; I don't go to the supermarket in the cape."

He could feel himself start to laugh, and he smiled widely, shaking his head. "Right, yeah, of course you don't. I don't know why I ever thought you did." Laughter was threatening at the thought of Superman buying microwave dinners in his tights.

Superman raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth, but he shut it quickly and inclined his head just slightly.

Jason heard it too; his parents were getting out of a taxi and coming up the front walk, talking about the sanitary workers' strike. He looked back to his father and shrugged. "You'd better go."

Superman stood. "You should tell them soon," he said in a fatherly manner.

Jason rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. I will sometime, when I'm ready." The front door opened; his mother called out his name. "Just not right now."

His father held his gaze for a moment and then nodded again. "I know. Good night, Jason." He looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes through the back wall. Jason knew he was looking at his mother, but that was a question for another time. Superman turned back to Jason. "Let me know when you want to talk next." Then he was gone.

Jason watched him fly away.

--

Jason set a fork on the left side of each of the three plates he'd already set on the table. He put two wine glasses above his parents' plates and a glass of ice water above his. He knew alcohol wouldn't affect him in any way as he assumed it didn't affect Superman, but he couldn't mention that to his mom; admitting that would mean admitted that he knew the truth, and as he'd just told his father, he wasn't ready for that.

Lois slid a plate of spaghetti onto the table. "Courtesy of Rico's," she said with a smile.

"At least you spared us all your homemade meatloaf," Richard joked, kissing her on the cheek.

"Now, Dad, you know she's gotten better," Jason returned. "It only tastes like half-rotted animal rather than dead animal now."

Lois's cheeks flushed attractively as she slid into her chair.

Jason sat too, but he turned to look at the TV just in time to catch a news bulletin remarking that Superman had arrived on the scene of a high-rise fire.

"Jason, TV," Richard said, and he waited for Jason to lean for the remote and punch off the television. "Thank you."

Once grace was recited and wine poured, Jason addressed his mom. "Do you know who Superman is when he isn't being Superman?" he asked.

Lois looked at him over her fork, which was halfway to her mouth. "What?"

Jason realized he hadn't brought Superman up in ages. "Well, I just mean, he doesn't walk around Metropolis in the cape, right? So he has to be someone else when he isn't being Superman."

Lois lowered her fork.

"I'm sure whoever Superman really is," Richard said, "his identity is safely hidden. Can you imagine what would happen if everyone knew who Superman really was?"

"He's an alien," Lois said quietly and a beat after her husband. "He probably just goes to some ice castle when he's not being Superman."

Jason pursed his lips. "You don't think he has an apartment uptown?" He tried to sound like he was joking, but he wasn't. He couldn't believe his mother hadn't cracked the secret to Superman yet.

Lois leveled her gaze at him. "Jason, please. Can't we talk about something else?" She shared a look with Richard then looked back at her son. "How was school today? Did you get your chemistry test back?"

Jason sighed. He could see that his mother wasn't going to help him any. He would have to go straight to the source. "Fine. I got an A."


	4. Chapter 4

Part four.

"It's been a while," came Superman's greeting as he landed softly on the porch. He crossed his arms, assuming his natural stance a few feet away from Jason.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," Jason explained, "and I wanted to make sure I knew what to ask you when you came by. I wrote it all down." He patted his jeans pocket then held up a hand. "Don't read it yet, please."

Superman shook his head.

"Thank you," Jason said. He inhaled deeply and sat on the edge of a lawn chair, the same one he sat on last time Superman had visited. It had been two and a half weeks since their discussion about the sun and Kryptonite, and Jason knew he had much more to learn. But he had other things he wanted to know because he tried to understand his powers, he'd decided. That was the cause of this meeting.

He rubbed the side of his neck and tugged on the hair growing past the nape of his neck. When he looked at Superman, he could only see the tights, the cape, the S emblazoned on his chest. "Do you have to always come around in that outfit?"

Superman raised his eyebrows. "What else would I wear?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Something normal? Jeans, maybe. Can't you be who you are when you aren't being Superman?"

He tensed. "I'm not ready for that yet," he admitted.

Jason was going to argue, but he realized he wasn't ready for a lot of things either, so he couldn't be upset at Superman for it. He nodded. "That's okay. I understand." He curled his fingers against the side of his thigh. "So that was my first question and I'll just go to the next. What happened between you and my mom?"

The moment he asked it, he knew it would be another question he wouldn't be getting the answer to.

Superman looked away, his lips pursed, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. His eyes began to close and he shook his head slightly. "Jason, I –" He lowered his head and shook it gently. "What happened between your mother and I happened a long time ago."

Jason couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"I left her when she needed me; I left everyone. When I came back, you were already five, and she and Richard were together."

That didn't answer the question, Jason wanted to say. That was telling him what he already knew. "Where did you go?" he blurted.

Superman looked at him and blinked. His eyebrows arched. "Your mother never told you?" he asked, in a tone that suggested amusement.

"Why would she?"

"She wrote that article," Superman said, "so I assumed she would have told you something. Or that you'd read it."

"The article didn't say why you left," he said pointedly. "And I'm not supposed to know you're my father, so why would she tell me anything about where you went?"

The corner of Superman's mouth quirked in a way reminiscent of Jason when he himself was trying to hide a smile. "Point," he conceded. "Truly, the answer is simple. Astronomers thought they'd discovered the remains of Krypton, but I needed to see for myself. When I got there, nothing was left. It was a graveyard. But I needed to try. When I came back, everything had changed, including Lois. That was the hardest part of it."

"You really didn't know about me?" Jason sat up a bit.

He shook his head. "I would never have left if I did."

Jason felt his father's affection and love flood over him like the sunlight when it moved out from behind a cloud. He heaved once and smiled with relief. "I – I think I needed to hear that," he confessed.

Superman opened his mouth but jerked his head to the right.

Jason heard it too, a distant wail of a baby and a woman's panicked scream. It always happened, every time, and yet Jason expected it. His father was already walking toward the sound, poised to leap into the sky. "I want to go with you," Jason blurted.

Superman turned sharply. "What?"

He stood, straightening to look taller, broader, than he actually was. "I want to go with you," he repeated. He stared at his father, pleading with almost-identical blue eyes. "I want to help. Please."


	5. Chapter 5

_Note:_ _I really appreciate all your reviews and I thank you in advance for any more! I try to reply to all signed ones, so expect a little note if you leave me one. Thanks!_

Part five.

The shake of Superman's head was sharp, firm. "Absolutely not."

Jason clenched his fist, his breathing quickening. "Why not? Shouldn't I be allowed to see what's expected of me?"

Surprise crossed Superman's face and he looked off in the direction of the call for help then back to Jason. "Yes, you should," he said, and Jason's pulse pounded with excitement until his father held up a hand, "but you're not ready. We've only spoken so far; you haven't done anything to control your powers, to see what you can and can't do."

"I can do anything you can do," Jason protested, not very confidently. In truth, he had no idea what he was capable of; that was the reason he'd asked for help at all.

Superman tapped a booted foot once, then looked towards the city for a moment. "Then follow me," he said, and in an instant he had taken off in a streak away from the porch.

Jason's breath caught in his throat as he realized his father was challenging him. His breathing then stopped entirely when he realized that meant he'd have to fly. He ran to the railing and wrapped his hand around it. "Wait, stop!" he yelled, leaning forward. His father didn't look back, now a speck on the horizon.

Jason panicked. What should he do? Should he go after him – well, _try_ to go after him? His breathing wasn't coming at all now, and he thought about how often he used to need his inhaler.

He put his foot on the lowest rung of the fence. In a quick movement, his knees were pressed against the top rung and his arms were out in front of him. With no air coming in through his nose or mouth, he stepped up onto the railing, closed his eyes, and jumped.

It felt as though he was falling forever. It took him so long to fall that Jason actually thought, for just a moment, that he was flying. The drop from the railing to the water below was about ten feet, and soon enough Jason realized the sick feeling in his stomach was because he was losing height, not gaining it.

The water stung, cold and like needles against his face and neck. When he opened his mouth to scream, he sucked in an ocean. He flailed immediately, struggling to stay on the surface though his soaked clothes dragged him down.

Jason had never been a good swimmer. He kicked and gulped for air, though he only managed to inhale more water. His chest hurt, and he couldn't even figure out which way it was to the surface. He was Superman's son, and he couldn't swim, couldn't find the surface, couldn't fly.

He heard a woman's muffled yell, his name, and then a strong arm wrapped around his chest and pulled him to the surface. He sputtered and gasped and struggled against his rescuer. Water rushed down his face; his clothes were sticking all over him.

A second person helped heave him out of the water. "Oh my God, Jason, what were you doing?"

Jason fell to his knees on the porch and, bent over, coughed. River water dripped off him and puddled on the wood. "I'm fine," he said hoarsely, holding up a hand and shaking his head. "I was just – looking over the edge."

"You looked like you were jumping, or trying to."

Jason sat back on his haunches and wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Thought I saw something. I'm _fine_."

Lois helped him to his feet and accepted a blanket from her husband to wrap around Jason. "You need to be more careful, Jason. What if we hadn't been here? What if you had drowned?"

"Superman could have rescued me," he muttered, turning to glance off down the river towards the city. He could still here sirens, but they were fainter now.

Lois's cheeks turned pink. "Superman can't be everywhere at once," she snapped. "Inside, now."

Jason looked to his dad but only got a shrug from him then trudged in through the sliding glass door. "I would have been fine," he mumbled.

Richard put his hand on Jason's shoulder. "I know you think so, Jason, but your mother and I saw otherwise. You were struggling pretty badly there and couldn't find the surface."

"When did you come home?" Jason asked, pushing the blanket off and sinking onto the couch despite protests from his mother. "It's not even five yet."

"It's Thursday," Richard said.

Jason couldn't believe he forgot. On Thursdays his parents hosted the neighbors for cards over dinner. Usually he made himself scarce, hiding in his bedroom, pretending to do homework, but tonight he didn't want to do that. "Can I go out tonight?"

Lois spun and looked at Jason. "What? No, of course you can't go out tonight. You almost drowned, Jason."

"Mom, I'm _fine_, and I _don't _want to be around when you have your stupid card club."

"Jason –"

Richard cut his wife off. "Where do you want to go?" he asked calmly.

Jason shrugged and stood. "The mall, I don't know. Somewhere else." He ran a hand through his long, wet hair. "I can go see my d – friend. Go see my friend. Sam." He looked out the door, still expecting to see Superman fly in. Why hadn't he yet? He clenched his fist at his side.

"Have I ever met your friend Sam?" Lois asked testily.

"No," Jason said. "Why are you being this way, Mom?"

"Because you just almost _drowned_!"

"But I didn't!"

"Only because your father pulled you out!" Lois pointed at Richard. "If he hadn't been here, you would have drowned."

Jason opened his mouth to argue but snapped his jaw shut at the sight of a blur of blue and red outside. "Fine, I'm sorry. I wasn't careful. I shouldn't have been playing around on the porch. Next time I'll be more careful. But please, let me at least run down to the park. I want to jog."

"Just a minute ago you wanted to go to the mall," Lois said, confused. She looked at her husband who shrugged. "Now you want to go to the park?"

"I'll be home before dark," Jason said, grabbing his sneakers and pulling them on. "I promise." He hurried for the door, ignoring his mom and dad and hoping Superman was still around.


	6. Chapter 6

_Note:_ _Sorry it's been positively forever. An update for my faithful._

Part six.

"I can't fly," Jason burst out the moment he was in sight of his father hovering in a secluded section of the park down the street from his house.

Superman lowered himself to the ground. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

He rolled his eyes. "My dad pulled me out, actually. He and Mom came home early. At least someone was there to catch my stupidity."

He tilted his head to the side and frowned. "It wasn't stupid, Jason. It took me a long time before I was able to fly. All I could do was jump really high, but I always came back down."

Jason nodded and wet his lips. "Why was that the last thing?"

"I didn't say that," Superman countered. He eased himself onto the ground and uncrossed his arms. "I've never known, really known, anyone else like me. You're developing your strengths in different ways than I did. And I have no basis for comparison, or for supposition."

Jason almost felt intimidated that his father had to be his father in that suit, but he'd already asked about secret identities and he knew he wasn't ready yet.

"Does Mom know who you are when you aren't Superman?" he asked suddenly.

He visibly hesitated and then shook his head. "She does not."

"Then how did you and her—?" Jason started to ask and then stopped, his face flushing deeply even though he couldn't feel the heat rising against his skin. "I mean, if you and her—but how did she—?" He really didn't know how to ask it.

Superman's stern demeanor fell and he touched his fingertips to his forehead and closed his eyes. "It's a long story, Jason, and it's complicated. I regret parts of it now, looking back."

He nodded slowly, not fully understanding.

Superman exhaled deeply. "Your mother did know who I was. She figured it out and we – had a relationship. It got to be too hard. She couldn't talk to me without saying she didn't want to share me. I knew it was _too_ hard. I couldn't stop being who I was; I tried that and failed. Superman _is_ who I am. I realized that."

Jason understood less now. He looked at his father with wide eyes and his mouth open just slightly, as though he wasn't completely hearing him even though he was. "Wait, what?"

"I'm not telling this properly."

He shook his head.

"When your mother and I decided to have a relationship, I gave up my strengths. I became human for her, and that was at a time when Earth needed me the most."

"But you have your powers now," he pointed out.

Superman nodded. "It's complicated. I did what I had to do, and I saved who needed saving. But in doing so, I couldn't save myself because I realized I was Superman and couldn't not be and your mother–" He sighed tiredly. "I felt that it was too hard on her, having to share me, that I couldn't be there for her like she deserved. So I took the memories from her."

"You—? You can _do_ that?"

"Jason, please know that I never meant to hurt her, to hurt you, to—after it happened I left to find Krypton, like I said. That was one of my biggest regrets."

Jason didn't know what to think, how to think about this man who stole his mother's memory like that. "So she doesn't remember anything? She wouldn't have remembered how she got pregnant with me?"

Superman nodded.

"How is that _possible_? What did she think when she just woke up one day and was pregnant?"

"Jason, I don't know," Superman said. His voice was firm, almost hard. "You'd have to ask her."

"That would mean telling her I know about you."

Superman nodded and was silent for a moment. "When you're ready to do that, I'll be ready to tell you who I am."


	7. Chapter 7

Part seven.

Maybe it was the curiosity surrounding who his father was when he wasn't Superman that made Jason seek out his mother, away from Richard. But the only place he realized he could do that was at the Daily Planet, because any other time Richard was at home when Lois was, when Jason was. Even the Planet wasn't an ideal place, because his mother did have a job to do, but it was better than nothing, because, Jason knew, his mother would never pass up a cup of Starbucks. If Jason told her she couldn't have it without a private meeting, then—Jason sighed as the elevator doors opened and he stepped out onto the press floor.

"Jason! What are you doing up here?"

He turned to find his mother's partner, Clark Kent, looked at him through thin-framed glasses and in surprise. "Oh, I just wanted to see Mom," he said.

"She's out chasing a lead," Clark said, pushing his glasses higher on his nose. "Can I leave her a message or anything?"

Jason shook his head slowly. He hadn't seen Clark Kent in a while, he knew, but something about him— "No, it's fine. I'll just wait here. Her desk is that one over there, right?"

Clark glanced over in the direction of Lois's desk and nodded. "Sure is." He smiled lopsidedly.

"Thanks," Jason muttered. He trudged over to his mother's desk and sat, leaning as far back as the chair would allow, and looked at the ceiling. He hummed softly to drown out the sounds of the Planet staff chattering around him.

He had expected his mom to be in the office; if he'd known he'd have to wait to talk to her, he wouldn't have come. He was starting to lose his nerve. Really, it wasn't that difficult. He just had to say it.

"Mom," he said, lightly, under his breath, "I know about you and Superman." He shook his head and twisted his mouth. "Mom," he tried again, "I know Richard's not my dad." Too negative, ungrateful. He loved Richard as a father. One more go. "Mom, remember that time Superman almost died and you took me to the hospital? Yeah, well I heard you tell him he's my dad and so we've been hanging out and he's been teaching me things and—"

"Everything alright, Jason?"

He almost lost his balance out of the chair but instead it slammed hard and noisily onto the floor. Knowing his cheeks were flushed, he looked at Clark and nodded. "Everything's fine," he got out in an embarrassing squeak.

Clark leaned awkwardly against the edge of the desk. "You looked a bit sick," he said.

Jason shifted under Clark's scrutiny. "No, I—I just have something to talk to my mom about and I'm just trying to figure out how to say it."

"Is everything alright?" Clark asked again, his tone slightly deeper, firmer than before.

Jason blinked. "Uh, yeah, yeah, everything's fine, I—just nervous is all."

"Care to talk about it?" This time, when Clark spoke, it was a bit higher in pitch, more—Clark-like.

Jason frowned. "Not really," he began, but he heard his mother and Richard in the elevator before the doors opened.

"Your mother's back," Clark said quietly.

Jason looked at him, surprised that he wasn't looking toward the elevator doors. "How—?" He stopped and sat up quickly. He shook his head as if trying to erase the thought.

Clark stood and touched Jason's shoulder. "Good luck," he said, then stumbled over toward his desk.

Jason, wide-eyed, waited for his mother.


	8. Chapter 8

Part eight.

Jason was very distracted by Clark's strange behavior the entire time he was trying to get his mother alone. He kept glancing over his shoulder towards Clark, but Clark remained hunched over his computer, typing away. "I just—if you could just give me a few minutes, Mom. It's really important."

"It can't wait until after work, honey? You know I have deadlines. I have a job to do."

"I know that. But when you get home, Dad'll be there—"

She looked at him, her brow creased, frowning. "Why can't your dad be there?"

"It's—I just want to talk to _you_ about it."

Lois set her pen down and folded her hands on her lap. "Is everything alright, sweetie?"

"Yes! Yes, everything's—" He changed tactics. "No, okay? I'm—I just need to talk to you. Can we use a conference room or something?" He'd never make it if he had to walk with her to Starbucks, and at least here they probably wouldn't be overheard.

Lois touched his face and pushed his hair back off his forehead. "Your hair's getting long," she said softly, but she nodded in the direction of the conference room. He moved first and looked over his shoulder to make sure she followed.

Lois closed and locked the door behind her. "What's the matter?"

Jason rubbed his knuckles. "I—remember when Superman got sick and we went to see him in the hospital?" he asked in one breath, looking through the door instead of at his mother.

Lois nodded slowly.

"Remember how you were talking to him and I was just standing around?"

She nodded again.

Jason took a deep breath. He needed to just let it out. The only problem was that he felt like there was so much more he needed to explain about it, so much more than just a simple, I heard what you said to him. He just didn't want her jumping to any journalistic or, worse, wrong, conclusion. He held up a hand. "Will you let me say everything before you say anything?"

"Yes, of course, Jason, what's this all about?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I heard what you were saying to him, about how he's my dad."

Lois paled and she stepped forward to the conference table and leaned into it. "You did? How?"

"I guess I can—I threw that piano, remember? On Lex Luthor's boat?"

"I didn't think you remembered that."

Jason nodded. "I do. And I can hear everything now, and I _heard_ you say that. So I know. I don't know why you haven't told me, but I'm not mad, not really, because I've been talking to him and he wants to help me. I mean, I want him to be my father too so I don't do something stupid."

"Stupid? How?" Lois's voice shook.

"Like be too strong or say something about my hearing or my vision, even though that's not that good right now."

Lois nodded again, then pressed her palm tight against her forehead and breathed in deeply.

"So I just wanted you to know that I know he's my dad and Richard isn't, but I don't want you to think I don't want Richard because he's still my dad too." Jason was speaking more confidently now.

Over his mother's shoulder he noticed Clark's chin tilted toward the conference room and his hands hovering above the computer keyboard. He held his breath for a moment and shook that thought out of his head. Clark was just concerned about him, and about Lois.

"Nothing's going to change, except I'm gonna spend some time with Superman and learn all the stuff he knows. He's already told me some things, but I know there's a lot more."

Lois was silent for a long, tense moment. When she raised her face to Jason's, she had tears in her eyes. She sucked in a breath. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice no longer shaking. She stood up straighter. "I should have told you."

Jason shrugged. "It's—fine," he said. "I mean, yeah, maybe you should have, but I probably should have told you I knew, cause I've known for a long time too."

She nodded. "Why didn't you?"

He shrugged again and played with a broken piece of wood along the edge of the table. "I didn't really believe it," he said, "even though I kept doing all those things, those things he can do. And then I couldn't stand it so I just called for him, like you always said to do if I needed him."

Lois looked at Jason and smiled. "Good. I—he wanted to tell you, because he was worried about you, about when your powers might develop."

Jason frowned. He hadn't mentioned that. "He calls them strengths."

"Yes, I've heard him say that before," Lois said.

"So it's okay if I keep seeing him and learn from him?"

"I can't keep you from him," Lois said. She tapped her chin lightly and closed her eyes for a moment. "Thank you for telling me."

Jason smiled. With one hand now in his pocket, he walked to his mother and hugged her. "Thanks, Mom. I love you."

She pulled back and thumbed his cheek. "I love you too." She kissed his forehead. "Anything else you can spring on me today?"

He laughed half-heartedly. "No, that's all. Thanks." He waved a bit and left the conference room. The noise in the main office overwhelmed him, but he felt so much better for having told his mom everything. He had a feeling she needed time to think about it, that she would have more questions, more things to work through, but for the moment, everything was fine.

When Clark touched his shoulder, Jason jumped.

Clark wasn't smiling like he usually was. "Have a moment?" he asked.

Jason swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, sure, what's up?"

"Not here," he said, keeping his voice low, almost low enough so that only Jason could hear. "I'll meet you on the roof." He nodded firmly then left, weaving through the desks until he stopped in front of the elevator.

Jason watched Clark get on and watched the elevator go up. His mouth opened just slightly. "Oh no way," he gasped. He ran for the next elevator.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks again, everyone, for all the reviews. I appreciate each of them (and have been trying to reply!). One disclaimer—Clark says something in this chapter that I paraphrased/stole from the tv show Lois and Clark: the New Adventures of Superman. So, that's that._

Part nine.

Clark Kent was waiting at the edge of the roof, leaning against the ledge, not in any tights and cape costume like Jason expected but in his suit and tie. He turned before Jason had even stepped out of the staircase.

"The conversation with your mother went well?" Clark asked. He turned back to look out over the city. The Daily Planet building was one of the tallest in Metropolis.

Jason nodded and joined Clark, leaning on the concrete an arm's length away. "She took the news better than I expected. It was easy. I just said it to her."

"That's good," Clark murmured, and Jason recognized that he didn't sound like he remembered Clark sounding. "I did want to tell you, but I understood her reasons not to."

Jason nodded again. He picked out shadows moving in the windows of the building across the street. His fingers tensed against the ledge. He took a deep breath and when he exhaled, he had started to laugh. Jason laughed, pushing his fist tight against his mouth in an attempt not to.

When he began to wheeze rather than laughing because he was laughing so hard, Clark put a hand on his back.

Jason shook his head and squeezed his lips together, fish-like, and breathed in deeply through his nose. When he looked at Clark, he started laughing again. Clark stood beside him with a strangely amused, mostly confused expression. He frowned suddenly, concerned. "What's the matter?"

Jason help up a hand and forced himself to cough to quit laughing. "You're Superman," he said, without questioning it. "I can't believe it, all this time—"

"Your mother doesn't know," Clark-Superman said sternly.

Jason sobered and nodded. "You told me."

"I don't _want_ her knowing," he continued, almost too seriously.

"I gathered," Jason said with an edge of sarcasm tingeing his tone. "Why not?"

Clark-Superman rubbed his brow. "She—she just doesn't need to know, not now. She's been doing just fine keeping me and Superman separate. I'd rather it stay that way."

"So, you're my dad," Jason said then, leaning his back against the ledge and crossing his arms. "I don't think I would have ever guessed that you were him."

"That's kind of the point," Clark-Superman said evenly.

It was going to be difficult keeping them separate now in his mind, Jason thought, realizing he was thinking of them as both at one time and not separating them. "No one notices?"

He shook his head. "No one ever seems to notice clumsy, polite, nondescript Clark Kent."

Jason almost heard the unspoken "even your mom" but didn't mention it. "So you just—pretend to be someone else? How can I even know who you are?"

"Now that you know who I am without the cape, you know me."

Jason blinked. Hearing Superman's tone (but not quite, not quite as commanding, he thought) coming from Clark was confusing. "Are you some weird mix of the two?"

Clark-Superman nodded. "You could say that. Clark is who I am; Superman is what I can do. Yet—the Clark who I am isn't quite as invisible, I don't think."

"You don't think?" Jason asked. He was confused, yes, but also curious. "How can you be like that? Be invisible, I mean?"

He shrugged. "It just happened," he explained. "When I came to the city I was just myself and then I was Superman and when I realized the glasses and the—I guess I could say—less confident presence kept people from realizing I was also Superman, I kept it."

"So you don't need the glasses?"

He shook his head and pulled them off, extending them to Jason.

Jason noticed a difference, but not enough to keep the entire city from figuring things out. He flipped the glasses over in his hand. Just glass, no prescription at all. "Why do you wear them?"

"It began when I did need glasses, when I was younger, maybe like you had asthma. Then I just liked the way they looked as I got older and didn't need them anymore. Plus the obvious."

Jason nodded and handed Superman back his glasses. He slipped them on and became Clark again. "So when I see you, can you be you and not Superman and not Clark?"

He thought for a moment and swallowed. "Yes, I think so. And I don't have to ask that you keep my secret, do I?"

Jason shook his head. "Of course not. But," he began, trying to figure out the best way to say this, "I think maybe eventually Mom needs to know. I can be Superman's son in secret easily, yeah, but—I don't know, what if I want to be Clark Kent's son in public?"

A strange expression passed over Clark's face and Jason realized it was affection, love. "If it comes to that—"

Jason smiled. "Cool. So—I guess I'll see you around?"

"I'm always around." Clark pushed his glasses up on his nose again and then walked back inside, leaving Jason alone on the roof.

Jason took a deep breath. He didn't know who he'd expected Superman un-caped to be, but he was pretty sure it wasn't Clark Kent. Not that he minded his father being Clark Kent—Jason had always liked Clark—but it was strange to think that his mother had—well, yeah there was the fact that his mother and Clark were together at least once—had been working with Clark for years, _years_, and never figured it out. His mother was a journalist, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, and yet she had never made the connection. Jason wondered why.


	10. Chapter 10

Part ten.

Jason heard the breeze and the cape flutter, and he knew his father had arrived. After hearing the patio door slide open then close, he shut his book and walked to the window. He opened the latch carefully and leaned against the sill.

Superman stood, legs apart, just a few short feet from his mother on the back patio.

Jason trained his ear to their conversation as he pulled himself back inside the room, into the shadows.

"Jason told me he knows," Lois said.

"Yes. I asked him to tell you, when he was ready."

Jason waited for his mother to acknowledge his father as Clark, even though he knew it would never come. Why couldn't she see it?

"How long have you known?"

"A few weeks. I was surprised that he'd kept it a secret for so long, but I'm glad he told me. You know I want to be his father."

"And you know that's not possible, not in the way you want it."

Both were quiet a moment. Jason held his breath. His mother had said he could continue to see him as a father. What did she mean now?

"I can," his father was saying, "I can be his father."

"You're Superman. Richard can be his father in ways that you can't."

"You never gave me a chance."

"You left me!"

Jason's breath came out in a sharp gasp. His mother's tone hand changed, taken on a strange emotional pleading. He had known the story, at least the story that Lois had printed in the Planet, but to hear the pain in his mother's voice…

"I left you before I knew, Lois. If I had known, I wouldn't have left. You know that."

"And just how would you have been his father if you had stayed? How would the world have reacted to a public relationship between us? Let me say again: you're Superman."

"Lois, I don't live in this suit."

Jason snickered. His mother did not look amused, but she also looked like she hadn't heard him. Superman, however, tilted his head very slightly. Jason covered his mouth, covered his breathing, with his palm.

"Jason said something about that the other night, if I knew who you were when you weren't Superman. I—you never told me. Have you told Jason? Does he know? Is that how you can be his father?"

"Jason knows, yes. And I'd like to take him this weekend."

"Take him where? How will your alter ego explain that one?"

"We won't be in Metropolis."

Jason wanted to interrupt, to say he wanted to go.

"I don't know if I can trust you."

"Lois, you know me."

"I thought I did."

"You do," Superman insisted calmly. "Nothing's changed. Jason wants me to be his father. I don't want to replace Richard, but I want this. Please don't keep it from me."

"You're keeping things from me."

"It would be difficult to tell you everything."

"You've told Jason," she argued.

Superman shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Jason's my son."

"I'm your—"

He cut her off quietly. "You're my what? Nothing, Lois. The mother of my son, yes, but you have Richard. Jason is our connection. He's mine. He knows because he needs to know."

"I need to know," Lois said, and Jason thought he wouldn't have heard her if he didn't have super hearing.

He watched his father almost five in and somehow Jason knew how difficult this was for him. "No, you don't."

Jason knew all of a sudden that Clark loved his mother and he thought that these last ten years must have been hard. Jason closed his eyes. He had thought only that keeping his own secret was difficult, but not that they had secrets—not that his father had secrets—too.

He pulled the window shut and crawled back into bed.


	11. Chapter 11

Part eleven.

"Where are you taking him?" Lois asked as Jason ducked out of the house, backpack slung over his shoulders and ball cap almost over his eyes. His mother pushed his hat up.

"I'd like to take him to meet my mother," Superman answered.

"Your—mother?"

"The woman who raised me here on earth. She wants to see Jason. She's been bugging me for years."

"Where is she?" Lois asked.

Jason looked at his father knowing his mother's journalistic side was out in full force.

"Montana," he said without batting an eyelash.

Jason remembered his mother teasing Clark about being from Smallville, Kansas. He frowned.

"You'll be on your best behavior?"

Jason dodged his mother's hand moving to completely remove the ball cap. "Yes, Mom. What did you tell Dad about where I'm going?"

"The truth," Lois said. "He knows who your father is. I never lied to him."

Jason stood a little straighter, surprised. "He knows?"

"Of course he does, sweetheart. Now go on, be good." She looked at Superman. "I want him back in one piece."

One eyebrow arched. "I wouldn't dream of anything otherwise." He turned to Jason. "Hold onto me tight."

Jason allowed his mom to kiss his cheek and then he awkwardly wrapped his arms around his father's chest. He could hear his heartbeat so clearly. He felt, not heard, his father's goodbye to his mother. Then they lifted into the air, at first slowly, then faster and higher and Jason remembered the only other time he flew with Superman.

When they broke through the clouds and the sun shone brightly on their faces, Superman stopped and hovered. "The sun is your strength," his father said.

Jason nodded and slowly loosened his grip around Superman. "I want to be able to fly," he admitted.

"One thing we're doing this weekend will hopefully tell is if you will."

He craned his neck to look at him.

"You'll meet my earth mother, and you'll also meet my Kryptonian parents."

"How? I thought they were dead."

His father smiled. "You'll see. I hope they'll be able to answer any questions we have. But first, to Montana and Mom's famous apple pie."

Jason opened his mouth to ask about Kansas but he wasn't quick enough. They sped over the clouds, over the country, and toward Montana.

---

Martha Kent was waiting on the front porch when her son and grandson landed almost in front of her. She smiled brightly and slowly made her way down into the grass. "Clark, honey, how was your flight?"

Jason blinked. His father was already back in normal clothes, if normal was a plaid shirt and jeans. He wasn't wearing his glasses.

Clark hugged his mother tightly. "Mom, this is Jason. Jason, my mother, Martha Kent."

Jason smiled awkwardly, never having been very good around new people. He was pulled immediately into a tight, grandmotherly hug and found that it was easy to return the affection.

"Oh now let me have a look at you," she said, pulling back to hold him at arm's length. She took her time looking him over, smiling and nodding. She turned to Clark. "Oh, Clark."

He smiled a bit sheepishly and shrugged.

Jason looked to his father for help in the half-moment before Mrs. Kent hugged him again.

"Come on, Mom," he said, "leave him room to breathe." He put his hand on Jason's shoulder and led him into the house. "Is that pie I smell?"

Jason could smell it too, warm apples and cinnamon, brown sugar, fresh milk. He sniffed loudly and smiled. A dog bumped into his knees. He touched its head and looked up at Clark questioningly.

"That's Moxie," he said. "She's Ben's dog."

"Who's Ben?"

"Ben's my mom's friend," Clark explained. He showed Jason into the sitting room and over to the fireplace. He pointed at a picture on the mantel. "That's my dad. He died when I was just out of high school."

"How did he die?" Jason asked.

"He had a heart attack." For some reason, Jason wanted to ask why he died instead of how he died, but he didn't. "That's when I left."

Jason turned toward the conversation happening in the kitchen between his grandmother and, he guessed, Ben, but when his father cleared his throat, he tried to block them out. "Why did you leave? Where did we go?"

"You'll see," Clark promised.

Jason opened his mouth to ask more because all he ever seemed to have is more questions when it came to his father, but Martha called out from the kitchen.

"Come on you two, hot apple pie and vanilla ice cream, waiting on you in the kitchen."

Clark's face lit up. It was the first time Jason could remember seeing him smile that big and that honestly. "Coming, Mom!" He nudged Jason's arm. "Let's go. You'll never have better pie."

Jason laughed. "That's 'cause my Mom's pie would taste like burnt wood."

Clark snorted into his palm and slapped Jason happily on the back, leading him into the kitchen.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note:

This chapter is incredibly short, and I'm so sorry for the delay. But I do like this little Clark/Jason moment, and I hope that you will to. More to come soon, I hope!

---

The sun was beginning to set when Clark took Jason out to the field behind his mother's house. "It's different here," he said, moving to lean against the wood fence.

"Well, it's not Metropolis," Jason pointed out.

The corner of Clark's mouth turned up and he smiled. He grinned when he looked at his son. "I know that. But I meant different from where I'm used to, where I grew up."

Jason took a deep breath. "Yeah, I thought Mom said you grew up in Smallville. Isn't that in Kansas? That isn't Montana."

Clark chuckled good-naturedly. "Mom moved here with Ben a few years ago. After Dad died—Ben helped her on the farm a lot and then finally she didn't want to stay there anymore." He ran a hand back through his hair and kicked a booted foot against the lowest rung on the fence. "The farm's still in Smallville, but—I haven't gone back in years."

"Can I see it?" Jason asked.

Clark whipped his head around and for a moment he wasn't even smiling. He looked surprised. "See it?" he repeated. "We can stop on the way."

"On the way to meet your real parents?" Jason asked, still confused about how he could meet people who were dead.

He nodded but didn't say anything else for a moment. "I know you still have a lot of questions, and hopefully we'll find our answers there. But for now, maybe we can see what you can do."

Jason straightened and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Race you to the road and back?" Clark asked, looking out past the field toward where the road curved past the house. "It's a mile away. Think you can make it?"

Jason's eyes widened. "You mean, I can run as fast as I can go?" he asked.

Clark nodded. "No one's around, right? So yeah, you can run as fast as you can. See if you can beat me."

"Of course you can beat me," Jason said, rolling his eyes. "You're Superman." But he didn't wait for a response before he took off through the gate and ran as fast as he could, dust kicking up behind him, through the corn. Even though the stalks flung and spat at his face, he ran. Everything blurred by him, but as soon as he felt the ground change from earth to pavement, he turned and raced back.

Jason arrived, just slightly out of breath, at the fence less than a minute later, to find Clark waiting for him, looking as though he hadn't moved an inch.

"Hey no fair. You didn't move."

His father raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I?"

Jason looked again, blinking. Clark was standing on the opposite side of the fence than before. "Why aren't I as fast as you?" he whined.

"Because you're young, and you're only half of me."

Jason kicked up the dirt at his feet. "That's not fair."

Clark relaxed his stance and lowered his arms from where they had been crossed over his chest. "Jason," he started to say, "I'm as new to this as you are. I've—I've only asked a bit of my father about what we might expect with you, but he doesn't have all the answers."

Jason nodded in understanding. "So you're learning just like I'm learning?"

Clark smiled. "Exactly. I don't know what you'll be able to do and what you won't. You're still partly human, you still have so much of your mother in you." He looked at Jason, almost as if examining him, his eyes moving all over Jason's face.

"Do you love Mom?" Jason blurted out.

Clark straightened, his eyes immediately moving away from Jason's face. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again quickly.

"I'm sorry," Jason apologized. "I shouldn't have asked."

Clark squatted in front of him and touched Jason's arm. "No, you should have. You deserve to know, Jason, that yes, I do love Lois, very much. If I didn't love her this much, you wouldn't be here."

Jason rolled his eyes. "I'm not stupid, you know. I know people can have kids without loving each other."

"No," Clark said, firmly, almost in his Superman voice. "I love her, more than anything. Please don't ever think otherwise, Jason. Please."

Jason could tell he was serious, very serious, that he wasn't lying. He didn't completely understand it though, because he knew his mother loved his Dad—his other dad, Richard—and that she didn't treat Clark the same way. And he knew she didn't know Clark was Superman, but—"Does she love you?"

His father was silent for a very long while, almost too long. "Yes, Jason, I think at one time she did."


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: It's sure been forever but not to worry, I haven't forgotten

**Author's Note:** It's sure been forever but not to worry, I haven't forgotten! In fact, I wrote a bit today and even though it's not as long as I'd like, I did want to post it. Thank you all for reading.

--

Jason began spending most Saturdays with Superman. At first, it was an opportunity for Lois and Richard to spent time together without a superhearing teenage son around, but soon it became an excuse for Lois to work overtime at the Planet and for Richard to go to ball games with college buddies.

The tension in the house was unbearable for Jason, who was just days away from his sixteenth birthday. Because they didn't want Jason to hear them fighting, they didn't fight, which only made it worse.

"I overheard Dad tell Uncle Perry he's taking a job in London," Jason said. He sat across the table from Clark. Candles sat between them, none lit. "I don't think Mom's going to want to go. They've been fighting a lot lately."

Clark frowned, probably wondering why Jason was telling him this.

"I guess ten years is long enough, huh?" Jason tried to laugh about it but it ended up in a cough. He stared down at the unlit candles, trying to get them to spark. Nothing happened.

"What do you mean?"

"Mom brought up the d-word once. You know," he said, looking up to see Clark's confused expression, "divorce?"

"Jason, I don't think—"

"Look, I guess we don't really know if it's going to happen, but I just thought I'd mention it, in case you want to do something." He tried to focus his attention back on the candles, at the task at hand.

"Do something?"

Did he really have to spell it out for him? "I know Mom still loves you. She spends a lot of time looking up at the sky. And I don't think it's because she likes astronomy."

"It's more complicated than that."

"Because she doesn't know you're Clark?" Jason sat back, moving away from the table. He looked at his father, who nodded. "Then tell her."

Clark was quiet for a moment. "It's a lot harder than walking up to her and saying 'I'm Superman.'"

Jason shrugged. "I don't see why not. How else would you say it?"

"I have no idea. That's why I haven't."

"How did it happen last time? You said she knew once. How did she find out?"

"She suspected and I kept trying to convince her she was wrong and then—then she fired a gun at me." Clark looked amused at the memory.

Jason's eyes got wide. "Really? She shot you?"

Clark blushed. "It was a blank, but there you go."

"She wasn't made about it then, right?" Jason asked. "I know that's why you don't want to tell her now, but how do you know she would be until you tried?"

"It's been a lot longer this time, Jason."

"Yeah, but it's about me," he argued. "People know Dad's not my real dad. Mom says she had some one-night stand before she met him. So it would be easy to say that one-night stand was you."

"Jason," Clark said seriously. "No one can know you're Superman's son."

"But I'm also Clark Kent's son. People will believe that. You and Mom were close, everyone said. It might make sense that you had a fling then disappeared and she was pissed at you."

"Jason." Clark didn't like him swearing.

"Sorry. But seriously. Think about it."

He shook his head. "I'm not going to even entertain the idea, Jason," he said. "Divorce is a big thing, and I'd hope your mother and Richard could work things out before it came to that."

Jason almost argued. "Right. Well, we'll see, I guess." He didn't mention that he also heard Richard don the phone with a divorce attorney once. It was going to happen sooner or later, Jason knew, unlike his heat vision, which wasn't even giving a flicker.

He slumped his chin into his hands. "It's hopeless."

"No, you just have to concentrate. Don't think about your mom or Richard, okay?"

"What should I think about?"

Clark scratched his chin. "Well, for me, the first time it happened, I had been thinking about a girl who definitely wasn't my mother."

Jason frowned for a moment, thinking about what Clark meant. He thought about the girls he knew at school, then about one girl in particular. Her name was Melinda, and she had the most beautiful copper hair he had ever seen. And her eyes—her eyes were as green as emeralds and—

His eyes suddenly stung, ached, then he burned a hole right through Clark's kitchen table, surprising them both.


End file.
